Charcoal/Steam Powerplant In Shipping Containers

A Kon-Tiki Kiln (lower right) creates charcoal that can be dumped out to the right as biochar, or onto a hopper (left) where a conveyor belt moves it to a Troy Martz Gasifier that powers an internal combustion engine for electricity generation. The waste heat rises into a Steam Generator that powers a Steam Engine.

This quick draft is a concept for a small, versatile portable power plant in two shipping containers. Any kind of dry biomass can be used as fuel, although wood probably works best. It produces electricity in two ways: from gasified charcoal in an internal combustion engine as well as from waste heat in a steam engine. Alternative products are biochar (if not gasified) and steam (if not used to power the steam engine).

Description (see figure)

Two 20 ft. shipping containers are used: the lower container is the carbonization/gasifier unit and the upper one is the steam / steam engine unit

a charcoal-making unit similar to the Kon-Tiki Kiln is used for "open burn" pyrolysis